GRATITUDE IS A MIRACLE DRUG: HOW TO PRACTICE GRATITUDE
Not too long ago I had a day when I woke up feeling anxious. This really isn’t out of the norm for me because I live with generalized anxiety every day. But this anxiety was different. I felt dissatisfied with my whole life and overwhelmed by the most basic tasks. I was irritable and exhausted.
I was fixated on all the things I haven’t accomplished — all the things I don’t have — all the things that have been taken away from me. A spirit of discontentment rested heavily on my soul.
And then, this picture popped up on my Facebook memories.
On that day, God decided it would be the perfect time to remind me of how far we have journeyed together. He wanted to remind me of His faithfulness. He wanted to remind me that I am alive and I have an opportunity to walk in gratitude.
It was just the reminder I needed to get it together!
It was a reminder to shift my perspective and practice gratitude. Gratitude is what will produce showers of JOY and true contentment, and I am so excited to share this with you today.
GRATITUDE IS A MIRACLE DRUG
If you read my last blog post, you saw that I wrote that gratitude is one way to find peace of mind. I wrote that it’s simple, and all you have to do is be thankful.
Easier said than done, right?
I get it. It’s not easy to be grateful when life sucks.
But it’s not impossible. Gratitude is a choice, an action, and a state of being.
Over the years, I’ve dealt with multiple crises, and one thing I know for sure is that gratitude really is a miracle drug.
If you’re looking to learn how to practice gratitude, you’re in the right place. In this post, I share my recommendations on how to practice gratitude in your life - starting today!
WHAT IS GRATITUDE?
First things first, what is gratitude?
There are many different definitions out there, but personally, this is my favorite.
The Harvard Medical School defines gratitude as the following:
“Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives. In the process, people usually recognize that the source of that goodness lies at least partially outside themselves. As a result, being grateful also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals — whether to other people, nature, or a higher power.” – Harvard Medical School
Now that we’ve defined it, let’s learn how to practice it!
“Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible.”
— HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL
How to Practice Gratitude
MAKE SPACE FOR GRATITUDE
To practice gratitude, you must first make space for it.
I like to think of gratitude as something that is covered by every insurance plan and is always in stock! And what comes out of practicing gratitude, is joy, happiness, and contentment.
I want you to feel all those things, and the first way to do that is by making the choice to practice gratitude.
I know it can be a struggle to feel gratitude, but I encourage you to try. Learning to choose gratitude during periods of distress and suffering takes practice! Please be patient with yourself and with others. Some days it will be hard to see past the hardships, disappointments, needles, caregiving requirements and the fatigue to find anything to be grateful for. But it is worth the effort!
Now, I am not saying you have to be thankful for every circumstance, but you can be grateful in every circumstance!
Believe it or not - it’s the bad days that help me feel more grateful. I need Mr. Walker to remind me of this next time I’m having a bad day!
Like finding joy and peace, gratitude is a choice. I know I am not in control of every ache or pain, but I am in control of my ability to be grateful - which means I am also in control of my joy!
I started making space for gratitude by consciously deciding to appreciate the small details of every moment. Somehow the pain of cancer and grief made me more susceptible to gratitude! The more grateful I was, the more things I found to be thankful for!
TRUST IN IN GOD
When life overwhelms me, and the last thing on my mind is gratitude – you know what brings me back?
God.
There are moments when all we want to do is sit and wallow in the pools of self-pity, close-mindedness, and hopelessness. Believe me, I visited these pools often and they are not refreshing.
I urge you to resist those temptations, and trust in God. Take a deep breath, and find something, anything, to be grateful for!
Be content, trusting that God does have a plan that is taking into consideration everything. God’s timing always proves to be perfect.
“So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the RIGHT time. Live carefree before God; he is MOST careful with you.”
— 1 PETER 5:6-7 (MSG, EMPHASIS ADDED)
Seek God, and then take life one beautifully complicated moment at a time!
Practice gratitude when it feels impossible. Stop and smell the roses, the bacon, your sweet child’s hair, or the pine needles of your fresh Christmas tree. Making space to treasure life’s simplest pleasures is guaranteed to increase your joy quotient and help you embrace every moment. When you look for things to be grateful for you will find them. And the more you look, the more you find.
Tomorrow is not promised. But today is HERE! Be curious about how God wants to use you right now, no matter what you are going through. Be on the lookout for the pockets of purpose contained in each moment. God is taking care of the larger picture so why not just focus on today?
Remember, gratitude is a miracle drug. Unlike other drugs, you cannot overdose on gratitude and its side effects are amazing -- increased peace and greater JOY.
I hope this blog post will help you to seek and practice gratitude every day! If you want to read more, I talk more about showing gratitude, finding peace, contentment and joy in my book “Make Room for Joy”.
“When you look for things to be grateful for you will find them. And the more you look, the more you find.”
— VANESSA JOY WALKER
LET’S CHECK IN
I challenge you to pause, and as always, without judgement, reflect on what’s going on around you today.
What are things you are grateful for right now?
What can you do RIGHT NOW to practice gratitude and see the purpose (and joy) in every moment?
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
